How You Might Help Japan Recover and Rebuild

The cost of rebuilding Japan is, as of March 27, estimated at $300 billion, making it the most costly disaster in world history.

Here are some ways you might do well by doing good in helping the Japanese recover.

I don't think there will be many construction jobs for foreigners. Japan has an outstanding construction industry. I'm more bullish on these:

If you own a business, offer to donate 5 or 10% of profits to Doctors Without Borders, an efficient charity committed to helping Japan recover. That's an easy way to differentiate your product or service from your competitors.

The U.S. military is assisting in recovery and early rebuilding. To see if jobs are available, contact your local Army, Navy, Marine, or Air Force recruiter.

I suspect that employees for the major consulting firms, such as Accenture, Bain, McKinsey, etc., will be able to find work creating plans to protect Japan's infrastructure from future disasters.

With an estimated 25,000 people dead, there may, alas, be a need for foreign funeral workers to assist.

If you're entrepreneurial, you might simply hop on a plane to Northeast Japan and look for unmet needs. I'd bet there are many that could be filled by an ethical and enterprising entrepreneur.